The big PC operating systems (Windows, MacOS, and Linux) leave a lot of administration work to the user. Over the years, all have made improvements. Windows has focussed on domain management, giving corporate support teams administrative control over PCs. MacOS has hidden a lot of configuration from the user and made the installation of applications easy with drag-and-drop operations. Linux has leveraged open source, package managers, and repositories of software to reduce the cost of installing software.
Android already has a firm beachhead in the phone and tablet market. Now it can expand onto the home PC.
A number of manufacturers have introduced "Android PCs", full-sized computers running Android. I think that they have a bright future, and may supplant Linux on the home desktop PC.
But isn't Android really Linux, configured for phones and tablets?
Linux is at the heart of Android, true. But Android is more than Linux with a smaller user interface. Android handles more device management and software management than Linux.
Android's model is closer to Apple's iOS/iTunes method of managing software. Android (and iOS) let the user purchase and download software quickly and easily from centrally-managed repositories. They are not exactly the same: Apple locks you into their repository; Android lets you add software from other repositories. Yet both have unified updating mechanisms, and both let you move to new devices and keep your apps (and data). Android (and iOS) manage the updates for all of your apps. Buy a new phone, and (once you register) you can quickly re-install your apps without incurring additional charges (Android and iOS remember that you have purchased the apps).
The traditional PC operating systems, in contrast, force you to upgrade your software and (possibly) acquire new licenses. In Windows, the Microsoft update service handles Microsoft products, but products from other vendors need their own systems. Buy a new Windows PC, and you have to install all of your applications, including the Microsoft ones. This arrangement works for the corporate environment, with a support team that assigns, licenses, and installs corporate-approved applications. It offers little for the individual PC owner.
Linux distros come close to Android's functionality, with an update service that handles all software. Yet Android's update system is easier to use and more convenient, especially for the individual user.
Windows will maintain its dominance in the corporate world, and Android will gain in the home market. It is the enthusiast, the computer geek, who wants to tinker with Linux and settings. The average person wants a computing appliance, one that needs as much attention as a toaster. Android delivers a better toaster than Linux (or Windows).
That's for user PCs. Servers will remain unaffected by the rise of Android. The people running servers (the sysadmins) are geeks, and they want (need) the ability to tune those servers.
Android (or some operating system that offers a toaster-like appliance level) for servers may happen in the future, as individuals (non-sysadmins) want servers. But that's some time away.
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